Christmas Gift Surprise Craft: 20 Printable Designs for Kids
Christmas Gift Surprise Craft: 20 Printable Designs for Kids
What’s hiding inside your Christmas present? A cheerful Santa, a smiling snowman, or a cute little reindeer?
These Christmas Gift Surprise printables turn a simple coloring activity into a playful holiday craft. Children color their designs, cut around the borders, and fold the paper to hide a character inside a gift box. Open the folds, and a Christmas friend appears!
With 20 different designs arranged across 10 pages, this collection gives children plenty of characters to choose from.
What’s Included?
The collection features:
- 10 printable pages in a portrait US Letter layout.
- 2 separate crafts per page, placed side by side.
- 20 different character designs.
- Black-and-white outlines for children to color.
- Cutting borders and dashed folding guides.
Each page can be cut down the middle to create two individual activities—handy for siblings, small groups, or classroom craft stations.
Meet the Surprise Characters
Children can discover a variety of Christmas and winter friends:
| Page | First design | Second design |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Claus | Snowman |
| 2 | Reindeer | Christmas elf |
| 3 | Gingerbread boy | Gingerbread girl |
| 4 | Penguin | Polar bear |
| 5 | Teddy bear | Christmas bunny |
| 6 | Kitten | Christmas puppy |
| 7 | Nutcracker soldier | Ballerina doll |
| 8 | Christmas gnome | Friendly yeti |
| 9 | Mouse with a candy cane | Winter owl |
| 10 | Smiling star | Christmas tree |
Let children choose a favorite, or hand out different designs so they can surprise one another when the gifts open!
Supplies You’ll Need
Gather a few simple supplies before you begin:
- Printed activity pages.
- Crayons or colored pencils.
- Child-safe scissors.
- A flat surface for folding.
Regular printer paper is a practical choice because it is easy to fold. No glue is needed.
How to Make Your Christmas Surprise Craft
1. Print Your Pages
Select US Letter paper, 8.5 × 11 inches, and portrait orientation in your printer settings. Check the print preview to make sure the outer borders are visible. Use “Fit to printable area” if your printer would otherwise crop the edges.
2. Color the Designs
Color the character, ribbon, bow, and wrapping-paper patterns while the sheet is still flat.
Children can use traditional Christmas colors or invent their own combinations. A purple reindeer or a rainbow gift box can be just as fun!
3. Cut Out Each Craft
Separate the two activities along the middle cutting guide. Then cut around each craft’s solid rectangular border.
Keep the character and both gift-box sections attached. The horizontal dashed lines are folding guides, so do not cut along them.
4. Fold and Hide the Character
Fold the middle section inward like an accordion so the character disappears and the two gift-box sections meet.
Folding tip: On some designs, the middle dashed guide is slightly off-center. Align the two gift-box edges first, then press the middle crease where it naturally falls. This helps the closed gift line up neatly.
5. Open for a Surprise!
Hold the top and bottom sections and gently open the folds to reveal the hidden character. Fold it closed again and let someone else guess who is inside!
Ideas for Classroom and Home
Use these printable crafts for:
- A Christmas art station.
- A small-group holiday activity.
- A family craft afternoon.
- A classroom Christmas party.
- A simple handmade surprise for someone special.
For a speaking activity, children can take turns asking, “Who is hiding in my present?” Give a clue before opening the craft: “It has antlers,” or “It wears a red hat.”
Learning Through Making
This activity gives children opportunities to practice coloring, cutting, lining up edges, and pressing paper folds. Following the steps also encourages them to work through a short sequence.
Younger children may need help with scissors and the accordion fold. Older children can add their own wrapping-paper patterns or write a short greeting on the back.
Download the Christmas Gift Surprise Printables
Ready to make a little Christmas surprise? Choose your favorite characters and enjoy a festive color, cut, fold, and reveal activity together.
